30 Days of Gratitude - Day 5

Day 5 – November 5 – “Give thanks for music, art, and authors. Name one of your favorites.”

Pastor Malinda, next time you do a list of what to be thankful for, please give us 3 different days for these different categories. For today, though, I’m going to gloss over art (Some of my favorite artists are Michelle Branson, Jinger Crouch Glasgow, and She-She Vaughn). I’m going to basically skip authors also (Some of my favorite authors are James Lee Burke, Michael Swindle, and whoever I am currently reading…  namely, TODAY, Candace Millard.)

So let’s talk MUSIC. Can you guess who my favorite musician is? If not, you don’t know me.

But Aaron Branson wouldn’t be the skilled musician he is today without so many other people from whom he has learned technique, theory, music history, and who have encouraged him along the way. Most of these people are gifted musicians in their own right, and some of them are my “adopted” children. I can’t name every single important person for this list, so in no particular order of importance, because all of them belong in the number two position for one reason or another, here are some of them:

Will Cash  Aaron’s first guitar teacher, at age 10 or so. Now they remain best friends, have been in dozens of bands and music groups together over the years, have authored music together, attended UAB together, have been in each other’s weddings, have shared the love of each other’s mothers, and I could write a book about him. One of the most talented guitar players in the South. I thank God for Will Cash.

Mark Lanter One of Aaron’s first UAB instructors, but more important, head of the Jazz Combo, and Aaron’s first public concert “recital”. He called Aaron one of the most talented bass players he has ever had, endearing himself to me the first time I met him. Over the years, they have also become great friends, continued to play in numerous groups together, including Black Jacket Symphony, Eat A Peach, and the Peytones. Mark is one of my favorite musicians, and a terrific drummer. I thank God for Mark Lanter.

Allen Barlow Besides being one of the most talented guitarists around, Allen owns Homewood School of Music, and has given many musicians the chance to teach music to others. Allen LIVES his Christian faith. During the COVID quarantine, he has created opportunities for many musicians to perform virtually, earn virtual tips, and therefore maintain food on their tables and homes in which to put those tables. Allen quietly worships God in everything he does, every note he plays, and I love him. I thank God for Allen Barlow.

This is getting too long, and I haven’t even STARTED on my “second favorite” musicians, so just let me share a few more who all share that spot: Tyler Diuguid, Peyton Grant, J Willoughby, Matt Casey, Matt Carroll, and Nic Herring.

I thank God for MUSICIANS.

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 4

 Day 4 - November 4 "Give thanks for the food on your table."

During the last 6 months of the COVID pandemic, I have not only given thanks for the food on my table, but for the people who made extra effort to be sure my family and I had food.

I thank God every day for Tyrone, Miriam, and Olivia Tolbert, who brought me boxes of food every week for several months. I was able to share the bounty with my family and my neighbors. I really was blessed by their love and thoughtfulness. No... I AM blessed!

The 21st District Youth Group, led by Chrystal Jones and Connie Demand also called me when they did their Veteran Food Giveaway. 

My neighbors Scott and Margaret have given me dozens of fresh eggs from their chickens. 

Aaron shared his meals from Satterfield's with me almost weekly.

So while I always thank God for the food on my table, I also pray for the people He works through to be sure I have the food to thank him for.

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 3

Day 3 – November 3 – “Open the door or a window. What’s something you’re grateful for outside?”

I’m grateful for my side patio and the memories it holds from over the last 30 years.

When we moved here in 1991, there were 2 albino squirrels that skittered across the top of the fence every morning, and sometimes in the afternoons. For about 3 years, they played on that fence and in the magnolia tree that grows in the middle of the patio. We watched them for hours on end.

We put a table and chairs out there, and a grill in the little gazebo at the edge of the patio. We barbecued year-round, hosted hundreds of cookouts for the boys and their friends over the 20 or so years they were home.

I gathered different kinds of wind chimes from all over the world, and put them across the top of the gazebo, and on top of the gazebo, the boys had a ”clubhouse”, with wooden slats up the edge to climb into it.

One edge of the gazebo was a hickory tree. I showed the boys how to crack hickory nuts with a rock, and how to pick out the meager fruit with a bobby pin. We also used the hulls from the nuts to throw on the charcoal for a hickory smoke flavor. Daddy always said you could starve to death eating hickory nuts.

One day, Keith used some of the bamboo jungle to build a “shed” in a corner of the patio. He put 2 chairs and a little table in there. We spent so many nights out there with candles and a boom box, solving the world’s problems,sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, or just enjoying the nights.

We built a little bamboo fence across the far side of the patio, to keep Lucy, our little dog, inside the area, and it was on that patio where Harry, Lucy’s “husband” breathed his last.

We caught a baby possum out there one evening. He was disoriented and frightened. After a few days, when his mamma didn’t show up to claim him, we took him to the wildlife center at Oak Mountain. We later learned that, without our knowledge or permission, Mark had hidden the possum in his jacket and taken him to school for a day.

Aaron fell out of the magnolia tree several times, since he climbed it almost every day for about 3 years. We were glad it was short, so he had only about 6 feet to fall. He was never seriously injured.

Keith made a little shade garden around the base of the tree, but once we put the dogs out there, they made it into their bathroom, so the plants didn’t make it after that.

Now the furniture is gone. The bamboo fence and the shed are gone. The grill is gone, and even the gazebo is gone.

The things that remain are the magnolia tree, now 30 years older and much taller, the hickory tree, that still drops nuts all over the patio, and, of course, the memories.

I’m thankful for the memories.

30 Days of Gratitude Day 2

Day 2 – November 2 – “What’s something that you’re looking forward to?”

Lots of things. It’s hard to choose just one thing… but let’s start with tomorrow. Tomorrow is the most important Presidential election in my lifetime so far. And I’m not so much looking forward to tomorrow, as I’m looking forward to the day AFTER tomorrow, when I hope all the bitter, sarcastic, mean-spirited, nasty, distasteful political bickering and name-calling and mud-slinging will dissipate. We have always been a nation politically divided, but usually we at least listen to one another. This year, nobody has listened to anybody, and everybody has been offensive and vile against everybody else. I’m SICK of it, so I’m VERY MUCH looking forward to it decreasing to a mild howl very soon. The 2 questions I hear the most will be answered: “Do you think there is any way Trump can be re-elected?” “Do you think there is any way Trump can lose the election?” I DON’T KNOW. Yes to both questions. No to both questions. We will know the answer on Wednesday.

On a brighter note, I’m looking forward to Aaron’s gig next Saturday at David’s Pizza in Homewood. I just hope I can find a parking place.

I’m looking forward to next Sunday, when Veterans Week kicks off in Hoover. There will be recognitions of veterans, and presentations of folded flags. There will be PATRIOTISM at its finest. I’m REALLY happily looking forward to that. Also, I’m a keynote speaker, so I’m practicing for that.

Veterans Day, there will be a motorcade through downtown Birmingham, to demonstrate support for veterans, in lieu of the usual parade. I’m hoping to participate as a rider on one of the 100 or so motorcycles that will lead the motorcade. I’m especially looking forward to this particular year’s “non-parade”, because it won’t be so long, so I won’t have to hold my bladder for hours on end.

The Veterans Day banquet will be small and intimate, but I’m still looking forward to it. THIS year, there will be no longwinded speeches that cause me to fall asleep, or want to scream “SHUT UP!” There will be only pertinent speakers, and most attendees will be VSO members. It will be a wonderful evening.

November 14 is the UAB Blazers Homecoming game at Legion Field. There are 1000 free tickets for veterans and their families. I will be presenting the “POW/MIA table” ceremony before the game, so I’m practicing for that. I’m also looking forward to sitting in the midst of 1000 veterans and their families.

And every year I look forward to Thanksgiving. While it won’t be the large family gathering we usually have, the smaller intimate family dinner will still be reason to give thanks for another year of love and support for one another. Thanks to God for a roof over our heads and food on our tables when so many are without either, especially THIS year.

Then I’ll start looking forward to Christmas and Wreaths Across America and all the pre-Christmas activities and parties!

30 Days of Gratitude Day 1

Day 1 – November 1 – “Who are the people (past and present who’ve made a deep, lasting impact on your life?”

Well, dozens. Too many to list here, because it would take hundreds of pages, so I’ll name a few.

First my precious father, whose gentle, happy nature, and positive outlook seemed to always be my rainbow. He was definitely my “port” in every storm life threw me. If there is a saint up there in heaven, it is my Daddy. After he died 50 years ago, I still felt his presence for a long, long time. Every hard choice, every climb up a hill, every heartbreak, I cried to his spirit to help me through it.  I wish Daddy could be there to hug me and cry with me. Every joy, every  goodness, every happy event, the same. I wish Daddy could be there to hug me and enjoy it with me. The impact he had on me was, in part, I try to have his positive outlook. But mostly, I try to live as if he is standing by me. I want him to be able to say, “You did good.”

Other family members, including

Grandmother, who was the hardest worker I’ve ever known, but who also taught me to sew,  taught me to fish and to clean them once I caught them, taught me to love jigsaw puzzles and playing games, and kept our extended family together as long as she lived.

My brother, without whose unconditional love and support I might be homeless right now. I love his dry sense of humor, his intelligence, his spiritual goodness, and his beautiful and loving wife.

My cousins, Pat, George and David, all of whom have positively  impacted me in so many, many ways for so many years.

My sons, whom I will address later in the month, when I’m specifically grateful for my children.

And several lifelong or almost lifelong  friends: Pat, Deenie, Mary, Debbie, Ann, Jinger, and on and on…

Plus a few more “recent” friends, who have enriched my life and made me a whole better person through their support, and through just knowing them:  Ron, Chrystal,  Bob, Nancy, Pam, Mel, Don, and the list goes on…

Thank them all for loving me, supporting me, and blessing me just by knowing you.

A New Normal?

I watch many TED talks on Youtube. Every once in a while, one of them really touches me.  Today I watched “The Hidden Power of Smiling” by Ron Gutman, and was saddened to my very core.  Here is the link if you want to watch:  

 https://youtu.be/U9cGdRNMdQQ

Yesterday I was in the grocery store, where everyone was wearing a mask (of course. It is the rule during COVID-19). We have been in this mask thing for months, so why it bothered me so much yesterday, I can’t tell you.

So, just as an experiment, I walked every aisle, and everyone I encountered did NOT make eye contact with me. Not one.

I walked back to the produce aisle, again walking every aisle, and everyone I passed I said, “Excuse me” to make them look at me, and I smiled at him or her from behind my mask. Sadly, I couldn’t tell whether they knew I smiled, or whether they smiled back at me. By the time I got back to the lettuce, I felt like we were all ‘droids, moving about the store mechanically and isolated. It felt like I was in a science fiction horror movie.

Smiling is one of the most powerful ways we connect to other people. And the TED talk tells us that smiling is both universal and might be one of the keys to longevity. Those two facts alone seem to doom us now. 

Today, at virtual church, my pastor indicated that once COVID-19 is over, we will never go back to the “old normal”. While I do realize the underlying meaning of the sermon was that COVID has spawned an awareness of social issues that she hopes will be part of our “new normal”, I thought about a new normal being masks and social distancing, with no smiles, frowning under the masks because of injustices, not to mention the fact that so many pictures I’ve seen on social media are of masked people, where only the people in the picture know who they are. I hope they are smiling under those masks, whoever they are.

Last month, I got my annual eye exam for new glasses.  The optician left the room while I removed my mask and tried on frames. When I had narrowed the available frames down to 2, I called the optician, and wanting another opinion, asked him to let me back up to the door, hold my breath, take off my mask and try on the frames. That worked, and he told me which frames looked better on my face from across the room.

I realized later that, actually, nobody will see my face with the new glasses except me and my family. I am grateful that my sons can see me smile, because they are the most important, but I’m very sad that I can no longer smile at all the people around me. Don’t even get me started on hugs! 

I’m praying this is NOT our “new normal”.

9/11/2001 thoughts

 Few events in our history have so affected us that we remember them and relive them our entire lives.

None of us were around on April 19, 1775, but I can imagine that a whole generation asked each other, “Where were you when Major Buttrick shouted, “For God’s sake! FIRE!” and that shot was heard around the world, ultimately changing the course of history forever.

My mamma and daddy could tell me exactly where they were on December 7, 1941, a “date that does live in infamy”.

Some of us still ask, “Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?”

I was a teenager, it was Fall of my senior year, and I was in art class at Woodlawn High School.

On June 11, 1963, Governor George Wallace had stood on the steps of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama and declared, “Segregation now. Segregation forever.” It would come to be known as the “Stand in the Schoolhouse door”  That footage became so well-known made it into the movie Forest Gump.

In Birmingham, we had survived the “Long Hot Summer of ‘63”, with firehoses and police dogs versus peaceful demonstrators on the streets of downtown. A time that would be replayed over and over on national TV for 50 years.

On August 28, 1963, a quarter of a million people marched on Washington D.C., and they were calmed by Reverend Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech – a presentation that will be repeated so often it is more recognizable than the Gettysburg address.

We had already been horrified on September 15, when the 16^th Street Baptist Church was bombed, killing 4 little girls attending Sunday School. I remember where I was and who I was with when that news was received moments after it happened.

So we wondered what the hell else could happen? could It possible get any worse? 1963 said, “Here. Hold my beer.”

On November 22, 1963, one deadly shot in Dallas, TX horrified our nation, and the world. For a time, we were no longer Republicans or Democrats, but Americans - UNIFIED in grief. John F. Kennedy was President of the United States. That’s ALL of us. Nobody said, “The Democrats lost their President.”

The next 40 or so years, though, were painful on many issues. Black vs white, North vs South… we were still fighting the War Between the States, Marines vs the rest of the military, Vietnam, Gulf War, Somolia, Panama, and on and on, until

September 11, 2001.

Where were you on Sept 11, 2001 at 7:46am Central time? When American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center?  If you were born before about 1991 (the year of Desert Storm), you probably can remember exactly where you were.

By 9:07am, an hour and 15 minutes later, when United flight 93 crashed In Pennsylvania, I know where you were, and what you were doing. You were glued to a television somewhere. You were shocked, angry, and feeling confused and helpless.

You watched in anguish as the Twin towers fell again and again, and the Pentagon exploded. You watched first responders rush through noxious smog into barely visible black holes into crumbling buildings, and people leapt to their deaths from dozens of stories up to escape death by fire. Maybe you wept. Maybe you prayed.

Unless you lived and worked in NYC. Unless you were a first responder in the area. There was no time for weeping or anger. For them, there was only FOCUS.

Of the almost 3000 citizens who perished that day, over 400 were first responders, most of those were firefighters, and ALL of them were true heroes.

My pastor says the church isn’t the building. The church is the people. Its symbol is a cross. Likewise, the United States isn’t the Twin Towers or the Pentagon. The United States is the people. Our symbol is our flag. None of the heroes of 9/11 rushed into the Twin Towers to save a building. Their purpose was to rescue PEOPLE.

In my heart, I KNOW most of them realized that rushing into the mouth of hell that day could most likely be their last action on this earth. I believe most of them knowingly sacrificed all their tomorrows so that somebody’s mother or father, or somebody’s son or daughter could have a TODAY.

The Bible tells us  “Greater love hath no man than this: that he lay  down his life for his friends.”

Except maybe that he lay down his life for a complete stranger?

In the years after 9/11/2001, thousands of first responders suffered the effects of the heat and breathing the toxic dust that day, and many would die from it in a couple of years. By 2013, over 1400 first responders who had worked the scene that day had died from the diagnosis “exposure to toxins at Ground Zero”.  By 2016, another 2100 firefighters had retired on disability with World Trade Center-related illnesses, mostly lung diseases and cancers. This brought the total count of “first Responder casualties” to almost 4,000.

But for a time after the attack on us on 9/11/2001, we ceased being Democrats or Republicans, black or white, Christian or Jewish, rich or poor. Nobody cared if you ate at Chic-fil-a or Ruth’s Chris.

For a time, You remember. we were ALL Americans. We stood shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, suffering and grieving the same profound loss. American flag companies sold out. There was hardly a car or a truck or a house that did not display an American flag.  What mattered was NOT what divided us, but what UNITED us.  It was the greatest surge of patriotism in my lifetime.

Lest they forget, it is VITAL that we teach our children and grandchildren the pride and glory that being a patriotic America citizen feels like. That’s the real importance of our annual 9/11 memorial services.

We remember and celebrate the day the fires of patriotism burned the brightest, and the day the American spirit could NOT be quenched. It is why we call September 11 “Patriot Day”.

So remember … Where were you on 9/11/2001?  and please… tell the story

Who's On First - 2020 style

This is copy/paste of an actual online chat I had with EarthLink today (May 4, 2020). It reads like a comedy routine:

 at 12:37, May 4:

Thank you for choosing to EarthLink. An agent will be with you shortly.

 at 12:37, May 4:

You can manage your account using our MyEarthLink app now available for Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple App Store).

You are now chatting with Frank A.

Frank A at 12:37, May 4:

Thank you for contacting EarthLink Sales Chat. This is Frank, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:37, May 4:

Virginia Branson

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:37, May 4:

That info is on this screen I sent you

Frank A at 12:38, May 4:

Hi Virginia, Thank you for contacting EarthLink Sales Chat. This is Frank, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?

gingerbranson@gmail.comat 12:38, May 4:

I haven't moved from this spot. I'm still Virginia

Frank A at 12:38, May 4:

Sorry for the above text

gingerbranson@gmail.comat 12:38, May 4:

I have tried every way I can think of to cancel my installation scheduled for May 15. Since last week, I have been on hold (according to the minutes on my phone) for a total of over 4 hours. If this is your idea of "service", I don't need it!

gingerbranson@gmail.comat 12:39, May 4:

The cable line from the street is down, due to a storm in early April. AT&T came out and said it is a Spectrum cable and they can't touch it.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:40, May 4:

So until I get Spectrum out to put the cable back up, I can't have internet (except for this Verizon hot spot). If Spectrum comes out tomorrow to repair the line, they can just install their modem while they're here.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:41, May 4:

Hopefully, their service is better than yours!

Frank A at 12:42, May 4:

I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you

Frank A at 12:42, May 4:

Can you help me out with your EarthLink email address or account number?

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:42, May 4:

gingerbranson@gmail.com and my closest sibling lives in Argo

Frank A at 12:43, May 4:

Alright

Frank A at 12:43, May 4:

Can you help me out with your cell phone number which is linked to your EarthLink account?

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:44, May 4:

205-305-8888

Frank A at 12:45, May 4:

Thank you so much

Frank A at 12:45, May 4:

To best assist you with this regard i will go ahead and transfer this chat to our dedicated department, please stay connected while i transfer this chat.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:45, May 4:

ok

Info at 12:45, May 4:

Please wait while your chat is transferred to the appropriate group.

                                                    Info at 12:45, May 4:

You can manage your account using our MyEarthLink app now available for Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple App Store).

You are now chatting with John M.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:45, May 4:

Hi John

John M at 12:46, May 4:

Hi

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:46, May 4:

Can you read my texts? Or do I need to start over?

John M at 12:46, May 4:

Let me check it

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:49, May 4:

My original installation was April 28. Nobody showed up. I called on April 29 and was told my installation would be May 4. Then I got an email that my installation would be May 15. And nobody addressed the original issue that the internet line is down in my yard due to a storm on April 12. I FINALLY got AT&T to come out last week to at least put the cable line back up. They said it is a Charter/Spectrum cable, and they can't touch it. Spectrum is coming tomorrow to put the cable back up, and I am going to ask them for their modem while they're here.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:50, May 4:

That's making a VERY long story VERY VERY short.

John M at 12:50, May 4:

Okay

John M at 12:52, May 4:

Modem will provided by the installation tech.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:52, May 4:

I hope so. I've asked them

John M at 12:52, May 4:

It is a different modem designed for your connection

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:52, May 4:

What are you talking about?

You don't work for Spectrum

John M at 12:53, May 4:

It is about modem

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:53, May 4:

Let me repeat and be VERY CLEAR: I am cancelling my Earthlink account.

I want nothing to do with AT&T.

Or Earthlink who puts me on hold for hours on end

John M at 12:55, May 4:

What city does your nearest sibling live in?

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:55, May 4:

Argo. He hasn't moved in the last 10 minutes

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 13:04, May 4:

It's not YOUR fault. I know and I'm sorry for the rant, but now I just want to cancel my installation

John M at 13:04, May 4:

That's Unfortunate to hear that you want to terminate your account with us. It is not possible to inactivate the account via Chat. However, I will provide complete information on how to inactivate the account in detail.Please contact our EarthLink's Customer Service Phone Support team, they are the only authorized team to make changes on your account.  EarthLink's Customer Service Phone Support team can be reached on Mon-Sun between 9 a.m - 6 p.m. Eastern Time, at 1-888-EarthLink (888-327-8454).Once you contact our phone support team, they will respect your decision and make changes to your account as per your wish to do the needful.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 13:04, May 4:

I would love to do that too, and have tried twice on Friday and twice already today.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 13:05, May 4:

That line is just an "on hold" line you for the information. I am able to verify your account.

John M at 12:56, May 4:

Hyperlink Internet service is provided by Earthlink with the help of  AT & T

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:56, May 4:

Thank goodness Verizon gives me unlimited data on my hot spot.

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:57, May 4:

I know

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:57, May 4:

Except neither of them provides ANYTHING apparently

John M at 12:57, May 4:

I suggest you to check the performance and then decide

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:58, May 4:

I would LOVE to, but I've been trying to do just that since April 15

And I still haven't had the opportunity to check the performance.

John M at 12:59, May 4:

Okay

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 12:59, May 4:

Other than the one AT&T technician who told me he can't help me.

John M at 13:01, May 4:

okay

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 13:01, May 4:

I had Uverse before the line went down. They also are AT&T. Their customer service sent out a new modem to solve the line down issue. Then when that one didn't work either, because the line was down, they wanted to send me yet ANOTHER modem! Good GRIEF

John M at 13:01, May 4:

I can understand how you must be feeling right now

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 13:02, May 4:

I originally called EarthLink because I didn't know it was AT&T. :(

"A rose by any other name..."

gingerbranson@gmail.com at 13:04, May 4:

It's not YOUR fault. I know and I'm sorry for the rant, but now I just want to cancel my installation

John M at 13:04, May 4:

That's Unfortunate to hear that you want to terminate your account with us. It is not possible to inactivate the account via Chat. However, I will provide complete information on how to inactivate the account in detail.Please contact our EarthLink's Customer Service Phone Support team, they are the only authorized team to make changes on your account.  EarthLink's Customer Service Phone Support team can be reached on Mon-Sun between 9 a.m - 6 p.m. Eastern Time, at 1-888-EarthLink (888-327-8454).Once you contact our phone support team, they will respect your decision and make changes to your account as per your wish to do the needful.

Pandemic Puzzle

I need someone smarter than I am to explain something:

The negative oil prices. From what I’ve read, there is a lack of storage space, so none of the storage people are paying the oil producers to store their oil.  As one reporter put it, storage space has become more valuable than the oil itself. So producers (who produce it at a cost of $2-$5 per barrel) are essentially having to pay for storage space, instead of storage companies paying them. It is a supply/demand situation.

OK. I understand that much.

What I don’t understand is this: If demand is down, why isn’t supply down too? Why aren’t the oil producers halting production? Or at least slowing production? Is it because it would put the oil well workers out of work, like the rest of the country? Can’t they just stop, or slow, pumping for a while, until demand goes back up? Like any other industry in the world where demand is down is doing?

(Simple analogy: Six weeks ago, there was a need for protective masks. There was a shortage among the population, and therefore a “market” for the sale of masks. I went back to my sewing machine and “produced” 100 masks, some of which I sold. NOW the demand is down, because everyone who wants one has one. I still have about 15 masks left, which I am “storing” on the kitchen table. But I am not “producing” more at this time. The fabric is still back there, as are thread and elastic (raw materials). They are dormant at this time, but if and when demand goes back up, I can re-employ the sewing machine to produce again. Granted, the sewing machine isn’t “working” right now, but neither is the lawn mower, the stove, the car, or me. )

Please someone explain this oil thing in simple terms.  

Emergency Measures

I got an email from Spire today. Spire used to be Alabama Gas Company. For me, they provide the gas for my hot water heater and my stove. (They also heat my house in the winter).

Anyway, this email said they will “suspend” all late fees, disconnect notices and disconnections until “at least” May 1. Mostly this is because they are trying to keep their employees safe from COVID-19, by keeping them home. Great!

Most utility companies in my area are doing something similar. Awesome!

THIS IS A WARNING to people who think the utility companies are being altruistic.

THIS EMAIL IS MISLEADING!!!

People, do NOT think you’re safe from paying your utility bills. If you are out of work, and do not have the money to pay your gas bill THIS month, it probably means you won’t have the money to pay your gas bill next month either, unless a miracle or a tragedy happens. Don’t count on either.

So the bottom line is, although your utilities won’t be disconnected this month, if you don’t pay the bill, you will owe double NEXT month, and next month they WILL disconnect and charge you late fees and a deposit and reconnect fee, so it really will take a miracle to get your lights back on. Multiply that by water, gas, rent, car payment, insurance, etc. and you’re in a hole it might take years to crawl out of.

I don’t know the answer. I’ve lived all my life with barely any “reserve” for emergencies, just like many young people (and frankly, many older people) today.

When I drive through the Summit and see empty parking lots, I think of the thousands of store clerks/associates, theater employees, musicians, waiters, dishwashers, managers, cooks who might be one or two checks away from homelessness. I raised a family just like that. Many of them are doing the same thing.

So I’m asking this:

I know the CEO of Alabama Power isn’t reading this, so I can’t speak to the utility companies, but if you are someone who is in control of someone’s rent, house payment, car payment, etc. you probably DO have a “reserve”. Please consider letting people who are out of work, through no fault of their own, slide one month. I’m talking about let them SKIP their upcoming April payment altogether. I repeat: NOT just let them pay double in May, but GIVE THEM A REAL BREAK.

I can’t promise God will bless you for that, but I CAN promise that ultimately, you just might be saving a life, and that alone is a blessing.

VSOs GET OVER YOURSELVES

You Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) need to GET OVER YOURSELVES! I’m sick of ALL of y’all’s whining and gossiping and acting like YOUR organization is the ONLY one that helps veterans or that matters… IMMEDIATELY after you tell me what all you CAN’T do, because THIS veteran isn’t a member of YOUR VSO, or THAT veteran never deployed overseas, or that veteran over there already has a wheelchair, so YOU can’t help him with his truck payment until he gets all these casts off his arms and legs so he can get back on a ladder he fell off in the first place to break his bones and be able to work again. Or that veteran was in the wrong service (she isn’t Army, or is’n't a Marine etc.) so you can’t help her out with food or rent or school supplies so her kids can start school.  

And my absolute favorite ridiculous thing: "The _(insert  any  VSO)_ is already helping him by paying his water bill.  GGGRRRRR!!!

Conversely, I’m SICK TO DEATH of everybody duplicating everyone else’s effort and acting like you are the ONLY VALID organization doing anything. Everybody ELSE’s program is invalid or, as I was told by someone today, “is causing trouble”, but can't tell me what KIND of trouble. EVERYONE is on the 22 a Day train, and everyone thinks THEY and THEY ALONE have the solution to THAT problem… like every veteran who ever served somehow is in the exact same dark place for the same reason.  Didn’t it ever occur to you that veterans, like ALL HUMAN BEINGS IN THE WORLD do NOT come from the exact same cookie cutter???

Take Christianity for example (something everyone understands to some degree), some Christians are Baptists and some are Methodists and some are Presbyterian. So some veterans are Navy, some are Army, etc. and they all have different military experiences and different other experiences that can send them to that dark desperate despondency. Some are “combat vets”, but most veterans served in duties OTHER than infantry. There is supply, food service, communications, instructors, drill sergeants, base operations, airplane and helicopter mechanics, and on and on and on! So it isn’t just carrying a rifle or driving a tank that causes veterans to later kill themselves. Nor is it divorce or unemployment or foreclosures. It is MUCH more complicated than that. And everyone is DIFFERENT.

While I’m ranting, let me tell you about some statistics that aren’t advertised very much. First, it is TRUE that the vast majority (like 17 out of 22) of veterans who commit suicide every day are NOT enrolled in the V.A. System. You can continue to cast aspersions on the V.A., but they ARE saving lives. Here’s another fact: The majority of veteran suicide prevention programs focus on OEF/OIF veterans. Well, the fact that goes with THAT is that 69% of veterans who kill themselves are over age 50. OLD MEN. Senior citizens! The ink isn't still wet on their DD-214s. GGGRRRR AGAIN! 

"CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG????" Apparently not.

Now, that said, I must be fair. I MUST mention a couple of VSOs that do NOT get involved in these controversies at all, at least not locally. (In my experience, most of the others DO have conditions and gossips and jealousies and RULES enough to make me PUKE.)

Locally, AMVETS will help ANY veteran file for benefits, for FREE, and will even go to Montgomery with him and represent him if there is a hitch at the State level. That's their main job, and they do it very well.

The DAV (locally) does that too. Help ANY veteran file for benefits, for FREE, and they are also experts at it. But they will also give ANY VETERAN who shows up and requests it, a box of food. Good food. They don’t ask how much your income is, what branch you were in, or were you deployed overseas. Just ONE question: How many people are in your household?

Alabama Veteran isn’t a VSO, but EVERY veteran is welcome to come to their events for camaraderie, and they don’t care how old you are, or what your gender or race is. They don't care what your income is. They have a large, statewide database. If you are a veteran who needs a job, they will reach out to their database and try to find you something to do. If you just are homebound, ask them and they will usually find someone to just come visit you and talk. If you aren’t homebound, they will invite you to their gatherings. Just come and be with other veterans. No membership fee. No conditions.

If the flag on your front porch is ragged and too high for you to reach to change it, ask them. They will usually find someone who will come out to change it for you.  If you are a 90 year old veteran and can no longer walk behind your lawn mower, they will probably find someone who will come out to cut your grass. They are not bound by rules about who is or isn’t a member, who served where or for how long, or what branch. 

Their Facebook page always has veterans events, job fairs, etc. listed. And it is current. Alabama Veteran is REALLY and TRULY “Veterans Helping Veterans”!

Rant over, until something else sets me off.